President Trump has revealed how Vice-President JD Vance inadvertently distracted him during a meeting with the Irish Taoiseach.
The President and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin met at the White House yesterday for the annual meeting between both leaders ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.
During the day-long affair, Martin presented Trump with a bowl of shamrocks and the two attended an annual lunch event in Washington.
They also sat down in the Oval Office where they answered questions from journalist.
Trump, with Martin and Vance sat on either side, was about to speak about inflation when he stopped mid-sentence after his attention was diverted to something Vance was wearing.
‘I have to say I love these sock. What’s with these socks,’ Trump said in reference to Vance’s Irish-themed footwear.
The VP then pulled up his trousers to reveal his cream socks decorated with shamrocks to mark St. Patrick’s Day.
Vance said: ‘It’s in honour of the Taoiseach.’
President Donald Trump and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin met yesterday to mark St.Patrick’s Day.Trump was speaking in the Oval Office when he stopped mid-sentence after his attention was diverted to something Vance was wearing
The VP wore cream socks decorated with shamrocks to mark St. Patrick’s Day
Vance said the socks were in honour of the Irish Taoiseach
To which Trump replied that he couldn’t focus causing the room to break out into laughter before reporters begin yelling again trying to get the attention of the POTUS.
Away from the niceties of the meeting in the Oval Office, the traditionally cordial meeting between the two leaders saw them have a gentle disagreement after Trump added Ireland to a list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States.
Martin countered by noting Ireland’s contributions to the U.S.
Asked if Ireland, a member of the EU, was taking advantage, too, Trump said, ‘of course they are. I have great respect for Ireland and what they did and they should have done just what they did, but the United States shouldn’t have let it happen.’ He was referring to the concentration of U.S. pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, due to the country’s tax policies.
‘We had stupid leaders. We had leaders that didn’t have a clue or let’s say they weren’t businesspeople, but they didn’t have a clue what was happening and all of a sudden Ireland has our pharmaceutical companies,’ Trump said.
Martin countered that the trade relationship is ‘a two-way street,’ adding that Ireland’s two largest airlines buy more aircrafts from Boeing Co. than anyone else outside of America.]
More than 700 Irish companies are also based in America, creating thousands of jobs, Martin said. ‘That’s a little known fact that doesn’t turn up in the statistics,’ he added.
‘I understand where you’re coming from, fully,’ Martin told Trump, ‘but I think it’s a relationship that we can develop and that will endure into the future.’
During the day-long affair, Martin presented Trump with a bowl of shamrocks and the two attended an annual lunch event in Washington
Away from the niceties of the meeting in the Oval Office, the traditionally cordial meeting between the two leaders saw them have a gentle disagreement after Trump added Ireland to a list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States
The Irish leader repeated his call for a surge of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave and his support for a two-state solution, but did not directly address a question about Trump’s call for removing Palestinians from Gaza
Martin commended Trump for his ‘unrelenting’ pursuit of peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, and played down differences over Gaza, saying that both countries were pressing for the release of hostages held by militant group Hamas and a ceasefire.
Trump has resumed his close alliance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since taking office in January, and he has said that all Palestinians should be removed from Gaza, at least temporarily, following a peace deal.
The Irish leader repeated his call for a surge of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave and his support for a two-state solution, but did not directly address a question about Trump’s call for removing Palestinians from Gaza.
‘Nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza,’ Trump shot back to a question on the issue.
